Find a Market for Foam #6

Foam Recycling Resources

Recycling Case Studies: Schools

As schools around the country return to business as usual, one university has begun to take a step forward in becoming more efficient. This summer, Texas Tech purchased and implemented a new foam densifier to help the school recycle polystyrene foam.

Schools throughout the United States use roughly 5.76 billion foam food trays each school year.[1] Polystyrene foam, which is often mistakenly referred to as Styrofoam®, a registered trademark of the Dow Chemical Company, is used to make these lunch trays. Instead of tossing used lunch trays into the trash, StyroSmart has developed a new solution to help schools recycle foam.

In California’s Los Alamitos Unified School District, students are gaining a better understanding of how to create a more sustainable environment. Each month, all six of the district’s elementary schools participate in a program in which they recycle 12,500 lunch trays to help reduce waste.

Westwood Elementary School in Stockton, California launched a successful foam lunch tray recycling program with input from students, teachers and the custodial staff. Through foam tray recycling, the school has reduced its cafeteria waste and trash collection fees by 20%. Plus, recycling has taught the students cooperation, problem-solving and environmental responsibility.